Man punches Asian passenger on tube in 'hate crime'

A video has emerged showing the moment a man punched an Asian passenger in the face in an unprovoked attack on the Tube - which is now claimed to be a hate crime.

It has been reported that the train stopped at Upton Park station on the London Underground when the man in a black hoodie, stormed over to a passenger wearing a blue coat.

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Moments later, for no obvious reason, the man in black punches his victim in the face.

It is not known if the passenger is Muslim, but British Transport Police are referring to it as a hate crime.

Immediately after the incident, a woman sitting next to the man in blue jumps up and chases the attacker down the platform, yelling at him to stop.

As both disappear into the distance, and several other passengers appear to follow, the clip cuts off.It is now being claimed that the incident was a hate crime.

Miqdaad Versi, Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, wrote in a caption alongside the video: "Apparent racist attack on London Underground @BTP: hope perpetrator is found & faces justice for this despicable, unprovoked assault."

On Twitter, the British Transport Police for the Victoria Line wrote: "The investigation is still ongoing and therefore we are unable to make any further comments at the moment.

"The hashtag #StopHateCrime was also tweeted in reference to the video.